A while back, I posted a small bit of code that could decode the data from the ubiquitous WS3 Weather Station and make it accessible to the amazing HomeAssistant via the wonderful ESPHome project. Since then, my weather station has been dutifully collecting data that’s been invaluable for augmenting automation that deals with indoor climate.

As the numerous wild fires in California rage on, the air quality has gone from bad to dangerous. Knowing that outside was warmer, but less humid, was no longer enough to make a smart decision about weather or not to open the windows for some cost-effective cooling. I now need HomeAssistant to be aware of how clean the outside air was before making the decision to pipe in outdoor air.

California, like most of the West Coast, is currently in the middle of a prolonged and serious heat-wave. Record breaking temperatures results in a distribution grid stressed beyond it’s abilities which guarantees blackouts.

The organization that oversees the electric grid in California publishes RSS feeds for various types of grid related news and events. All the CA ISO RSS feeds are published here, but the two feed that I’m using are: